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1969 WWII film past Guy Hamilton

Battle of Britain
U.Southward. theatrical release poster
Directed past	Guy Hamilton
Written by	James Kennaway Wilfred Greatorex
Produced past	Harry Saltzman Benjamin Fisz
Starring	Harry Andrews Michael Caine Trevor Howard Brusk Jürgens Ian McShane Kenneth More than Laurence Olivier Nigel Patrick Christopher Plummer Michael Redgrave Ralph Richardson Robert Shaw Patrick Wymark Susannah York
Cinematography	Freddie Young
Edited by	Bert Bates
Music by	Ron Goodwin William Walton
Distributed by	United Artists
Release engagement	15 September 1969 (1969-09-15)
Running time	133 minutes
Country	Britain
Languages	English German
Budget	$14 million[ane]
Box part	$thirteen meg

Battle of Britain is a 1969 British Second World War motion picture directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and Due south. Benjamin Fisz. The film documents the events of the Boxing of Uk. The moving picture drew many respected British actors to have roles as fundamental figures of the battle, including Laurence Olivier as Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Trevor Howard as Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, and Patrick Wymark as Air Vice-Align Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Air Officer commanding No. 12 Group RAF. It likewise starred Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, and Robert Shaw as Squadron Leaders. The script past James Kennaway and Wilfred Greatorex was based on the book The Narrow Margin by Derek Wood and Derek Dempster.

The motion-picture show endeavoured to be an accurate account of the Battle of Britain, when in the summer and autumn of 1940 the British RAF inflicted a strategic defeat on the Luftwaffe and then ensured the cancellation of Operation Bounding main Panthera leo, Adolf Hitler'due south program to invade Britain. The film is notable for its spectacular flying sequences. It was on a far larger scale than had been seen on moving-picture show earlier, and this made the film'southward product very expensive.

Plot [edit]

During the Battle of France in June 1940, RAF pilots evacuate a small airfield in advance of the German Blitzkrieg. The pilots, along with British and French military, leave only as German aircraft make it and execute a heavy strafing set on. RAF Air Principal Marshal Hugh Dowding (Laurence Olivier), realising that an imminent invasion of Great Britain volition require every available aircraft and airman to counter it, stops additional aircraft existence deployed to France and so that they are available to defend Britain. In the adjacent dramatic scene, French civilians sentinel in grim despair as a convoy of German language troops marches into France and takes control.

At the deserted beaches of Dunkirk, the BBC reports British Prime number Minister Winston Churchill's declaration that "what General Weygand called the 'Boxing of France' is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin." Luftwaffe Inspector-Full general Field Marshal Milch arrives to inspect a large German airfield in captured France. Hundreds of Heinkel He 111 bomber aircraft are stationed under Luftwaffe General Kesselring's command.

Luftwaffe commanders are stunned when the Führer informs them that the British are not their "natural enemy" and delays their attack while attempting a diplomatic settlement. In neutral Switzerland, the German administrator, Baron von Richter (Curd Jürgens), officially proposes new peace terms to his British counterpart, Sir David Kelly (Ralph Richardson), stating that standing to fight the "masters" of Europe is hopeless. Kelly's brave retort, "Don't threaten or dictate to us until you're marching up Whitehall ... and even then nosotros won't listen", is followed by a private annotate to his married woman that von Richter is probably correct. In England, commanders celebrate their expert fortune, using the delay to build upwardly their strength and continually train their pilots and footing controllers.

The wait finally ends when Luftwaffe pilots receive orders to move to the front, where troops are preparing for a ocean-borne invasion. The campaign begins with the Luftwaffe launching an early morning assault on "Eagle Twenty-four hour period". The plan is to destroy the RAF on the ground earlier they have time to launch their Spitfire and Hurricane fighters.

Eagle Day proves highly successful, with attacks on British radar installations by Stuka dive bombers. Two radar stations are put out of activeness and a number of British airfields are damaged or destroyed but British losses are relatively low-cal. A grueling battle of attrition ensues, with the RAF airfields under repeated attack while inflicting heavy, just non-critical, damage on the attacking forces.

Adding to the RAF's problems is a boxing between the commanding officers of eleven Grouping, Keith Park (Trevor Howard), and 12 Group, Trafford Leigh-Mallory (Patrick Wymark). 12 Grouping is tasked with protecting 11 Group's airfields while 11 Group meets the enemy, but in raid later raid 12 Group aircraft are nowhere to be seen. Called to meet Dowding, Leigh-Mallory explains that the "Big Wing" tactic takes time for form up, while Park complains that the tactic but is not working. Dowding ends the debate noting a disquisitional shortage of pilots, wearily remarking, "Nosotros're fighting for survival, and losing."

The turning signal occurs when a squadron of German bombers becomes lost in bad weather at nighttime and drops bombs on London. In retaliation, the RAF attacks Berlin. Though the harm is negligible, an enraged Adolf Hitler publicly orders London to exist razed. Hermann Göring (Hein Riess) arrives in French republic to personally command the attack, confident that the end of the boxing nears. Their first attack skirts the RAF, who are withal defending their airfields to the south, and they bomb unopposed. Night fourth dimension attacks follow and London burns.

One of the picture'southward most poignant scenes takes identify during the Blitz. Non-commissioned fighter pilot Andy Moore (Ian McShane) comes home on go out and is furious to discover that his family have returned to London from their place of evacuation. Coming together them in a church during a raid, he gives his children presents of model aeroplanes, and tells his married woman she must return them to the land at one time. Equally they argue, an ARP warden arrives with news of a family trapped in a burning firm. Andy goes to help merely when he returns, the church has been reduced to a flaming ruin, leaving his wife and children dead. Meanwhile, to supplement Commonwealth forces, the RAF has been forming units of foreign pilots who accept escaped German-occupied countries; the principal difficulty is their lack of English-language skills. While on a training flight, a Costless Smooth Air Force squadron accidentally runs into an unescorted flight of German bombers. Ignoring the commands of their British training officer, they peel off i past ane and shoot down several of the bombers with unorthodox aggressive tactics. Park rewards them by elevating them to operational status, leading Dowding to practise the same for the Canadian and Czech squadrons as well.

While discussing the day's events, Park and Dowding examine the German switch to London. Given a respite, Park notes that he volition be able to repair his airfields and bring his squadrons back to full strength. Dowding adds that 12 Group units due north of London are now all within range, while enemy fighters are at the farthermost edge of their ain range. He concludes that "turning on London could be the Germans' biggest blunder."

The next High german daytime raid is met past a massive response; watching his formations build up in 11 Group's operations room, Wing Commander Willoughby (Robert Flemyng) wryly states "this should requite them something to recall about." RAF fighters arranged into big groups attack en masse, overwhelming the German language raids. Luftwaffe losses are at present critical and Göring is incensed, ordering his fighters remain with the bombers, an lodge the pilots detest considering it robs them of the mobility required to go along the British squadrons off the German language bombers. Losses continue to mount on both sides.

The climactic air battle of fifteen September 1940 arrives, with Winston Churchill in omnipresence at 11 Group's operations room. In the hole-and-corner bunker, British basis control personnel order every squadron into the air to run into the massive attack. Intense combat in the sky over London follows, with both sides taking heavy losses. The outcome is so confused that Dowding refuses to annotate on the events.

The side by side day the RAF anxiously await a raid that never comes. Besides the Luftwaffe is disheartened by heavy losses and also wait orders that never come to resume raiding. Ii German anti-aircraft gunners, who had earlier observed a French port teeming with Kriegsmarine vessels and landing barges, at present observe a deserted harbour basin. Göring leaves the front, accusing his commanders of betrayal. Dowding looks out over the gardens and upwardly to the heaven where the words of Winston Churchill appear onscreen: "Never in the field of man conflict was so much owed by so many to then few." ^[two]

Cast [edit]

The Battle of Great britain has a big all-star international cast. The film was notable for its endeavor to accurately portray the role of the Germans, with participants in the battle including Group Captain Tom Gleave, Wing Commander Robert Stanford Constrict, Squadron Leader Bolesław Drobiński and Luftwaffe Generalleutnant Adolf Galland involved as consultants.^[three] During the state of war, Drobiński had heavily damaged Galland's plane and forced him into a crash-landing.^[4]

Subtitled German-speaking actors were utilised, a deviation from other English language British films in the postwar period, where Germans were often played by Anglophone actors.^[5]

British Commonwealth and Allies [edit]

• Harry Andrews equally Harold Balfour, Nether-Secretary of State for Air
• Michael Caine as Squadron Leader Canfield
• Trevor Howard as Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, Air Officer Commanding No. xi Group RAF
• Ian McShane equally Sergeant Pilot Andy Moore
• Kenneth More as Group Captain Barker, Station Commander at RAF Duxford
• Laurence Olivier equally Air Chief Align Sir Hugh Dowding, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF, Fighter Command
• Nigel Patrick as Group Captain Hope
• Christopher Plummer as Squadron Leader Colin Harvey, a Canadian pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
• Michael Redgrave as Air Vice-Marshal Douglas Evill, Senior Air Staff Officer Fighter Command
• Ralph Richardson every bit Sir David Kelly, British Ambassador to Switzerland
• Robert Shaw as Squadron Leader "Skipper" ^{[Note 1]}
• Patrick Wymark as Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Air Officeholder Commanding No. 12 Group RAF
• Susannah York as Section Officer Maggie Harvey, Colin's married woman
• John Baskcomb as Farmer
• Michael Bates as Warrant Officer Warwick
• Isla Blair equally Moore's married woman
• Tom Chatto as Willoughby's Assistant Controller
• James Cosmo as Jamie
• Robert Flemyng as Fly Commander Willoughby
• Barry Foster as Squadron Leader Edwards
• Edward Fox equally Pilot Officeholder Archie
• Bill Foxley as Squadron Leader Evans
• David Griffin as Sergeant Airplane pilot Chris
• Jack Gwillim every bit Senior Air Staff Officeholder
• Myles Hoyle every bit Peter
• Duncan Lamont as Flying Sergeant Arthur
• Sarah Lawson as Skipper'south married woman
• Mark Malicz equally Pasco
• André Maranne as French NCO
• Anthony Nicholls every bit Minister
• Nicholas Pennell every bit Simon
• Andrzej Scibor as Ox
• Jean Wladon equally Jean Jacques
• Nick Tate every bit RAF Pilot (Uncredited)

Germans and Axis [edit]

• Curd Jürgens as Maximilian, Baron von Richter
• Hein Riess as Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe ^{[Note ii]}
• Dietrich Frauboes every bit Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch (Inspector General, Luftwaffe)
• Peter Hager as Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring
• Wilfried von Aacken as Gen. Theo Osterkamp
• Karl-Otto Alberty every bit Gen. Hans Jeschonnek (Luftwaffe chief of staff)
• Wolf Harnisch every bit General Johannes Fink
• Malte Petzel as Colonel Beppo Schmid (Luftwaffe Intelligence)
• Manfred Reddemann as Major Falke
• Paul Neuhaus equally Major Föhn
• Alexander Allerson as Major Brandt
• Alf Jungermann every bit Lieutenant Froedl, Brandt's navigator
• Helmut Kirchner every bit Boehm
• Reinhard Horras equally Bruno
• Rolf Stiefel as Adolf Hitler

Product [edit]

Old participants of the boxing served as technical advisers including Douglas Bader, James Lacey, Robert Stanford Tuck, Adolf Galland and Dowding himself.^{[ citation needed ]}

Aircraft [edit]

HA-1112 Buchón in 2015, all the same sporting the livery worn during filming of the Battle of Britain. It was likewise used in the 2017 moving picture Dunkirk ^[seven]

The film required a large number of menstruation shipping. In September 1965 producers Harry Saltzman and Due south. Benjamin Fisz contacted one-time RAF Bomber Control Group Captain T.G. 'Hamish' Mahaddie to find the aircraft and arrange their use.^[6] Eventually 100 aircraft were employed, called the "35th largest air forcefulness in the world".^[8] With Mahaddie's help, the producers located 109 Spitfires in the UK, of which 27 were available although but 12 could be fabricated flyable. Mahaddie negotiated use of six Hawker Hurricanes, of which 3 were flying.^[9] The film helped preserve these shipping, including a rare Spitfire Mk II which had been a gate guardian at RAF Colerne in Wiltshire.^{[half dozen]}

During the actual aeriform conflict, all RAF Spitfires were Spitfire Mk I and Mark 2 variants. All the same, only ane Mk Ia and 1 Mk IIa (the latter with a Boxing of Britain combat tape) could exist made airworthy, and so the producers had to use seven other dissimilar marks, all of them built subsequently in the state of war. To achieve commonality, the production made some modifications to "standardise" the Spitfires, including calculation elliptical wingtips, menstruation canopies and other changes. To classic aircraft fans, they became known as "Mark Haddies" (a play on Grp. Capt. Mahaddie's proper noun).^[6]

A pair of two-seat trainer Spitfires were camera platforms to achieve realistic aerial footage within the boxing scenes.^[x] Lieutenant Maurice Hynett, RN, on leave from duties at Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough flew a number of Spitfire sequences in the movie, including i of the opening scenes which features a single Spitfire in flight. A rare Hawker Hurricane XII had been restored by Canadian Bob Diemert, who flew the aircraft in the film. Eight non-flying Spitfires and two Hurricanes were set dressing, with one Hurricane able to taxi.^[11]

A North American B-25 Mitchell N6578D, flown by pilots John "Jeff" Hawke and Duane Egli, was the principal filming platform for the aeriform sequences. It was fitted with camera positions in what were formerly the aircraft's nose, tail and waist gun positions. An additional photographic camera, on an articulating arm, was mounted in the shipping's bomb bay and allowed 360-degree shots from below the aircraft. The top gun turret was replaced with a clear dome for the aerial director, who would co-ordinate the other aircraft by radio.^[12]

N6578D was painted garishly for line-upwardly references^[8] and to arrive easier for pilots to determine which fashion it was manoeuvring. When the brightly coloured shipping arrived at Tablada airbase in Spain in early afternoon of 18 March 1968, the comment from Derek Cracknell, the banana director, was "It's a bloody great psychedelic monster!" The shipping was henceforth dubbed the Psychedelic Monster.^[thirteen]

The Luftwaffe armada included over 50 real shipping. (screenshot)

For the High german aircraft, the producers obtained 32 CASA 2.111 twin-engined bombers, a Spanish-built version of the German language Heinkel He 111H-xvi. They also located 27 Hispano Aviación HA-1112 M1L 'Buchon' single-engined fighters, a Spanish version of the German Messerschmitt Bf 109. The Buchons were contradistinct to look more than like correct Bf 109Es, adding mock machine guns and cannon, and redundant tailplane struts, and removing the rounded wingtips.^[fourteen] The Spanish shipping were powered past British Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, and thus almost all the aircraft used, British and German akin, were Merlin-powered. ^{[Note 3]} Later on the pic, ane HA-1112 was donated to the German language Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr, and converted to a Messerschmitt Bf 109 Thousand-ii variant, depicting the insignias of High german ace Gustav Rödel.

Two Heinkels and the 17 flyable Messerschmitts (including 1 dual-controlled HA-1112-M4L two-seater, used for conversion training and as a camera transport), were flown to England to complete the shoot.^[eight] In the scene where the Polish training squadron breaks off to assault (the "Echo, please" sequence), the three nigh afar Hurricanes were Buchons marked equally Hurricanes, as in that location were not enough flyable Hurricanes. In addition to the gainsay aircraft, 2 Spanish-built Junkers Ju 52 transports were used.

Locations [edit]

Employ of RAF bases including Duxford lent an air of actuality.

Filming in England was at Duxford, Debden, N Weald and Hawkinge, all operational stations in 1940; one surviving Showtime World War "Belfast" hangar at Duxford was blown upwards and demolished for the Eagle Day sequence. Some filming also took place at Bovingdon, a erstwhile wartime bomber airfield. The championship sequence scene, showing a review of High german bombers on the ground past Fieldmarshal Milch, was filmed at Tablada Airfield in Kingdom of spain.^[12] Stunt coordinator Wilson Connie Edwards retained a Marking IX Spitfire, vi Buchons, and a P-51 Mustang in lieu of payment, which were stored in Texas until sold to collectors in 2014.^[xv]

The village of Chilham in Kent became the base of operations for the radio controllers in the film. Denton, another Kent village, and its pub, The Jackdaw Inn, features in the film as the location where Christopher Plummer and his on-screen married woman argue well-nigh her relocating closer to his posting. The Jackdaw Inn has a room devoted to an extensive collection of RAF Second World War memorabilia.^[16]

Another early on scene was the Dunkirk recreation which was shot at the beachfront in Huelva, Spain. ^{[Note four]} To reflect the cloudless skies of summertime of 1940, many upward-facing shots were filmed over Spain, while downward-facing shots were nigh all below the clouds, over southern England, where farmland is distinctive. However, 1940 cover-up made it difficult to see the aircraft against the basis and sky, so a deject background was used where possible. Simply one Spitfire was relocated to Spain to stand in for the RAF defenders. After filming began, the English weather proved too unreliable and filming was moved to Hal Far and Luqa Airfields in Malta to consummate the aerial sequences.^[8]

Numerous scenes were shot in the preserved operations rooms, illustrating the operation of the Dowding system that controlled the fighter squadrons. Much of this footage takes place in eleven Group's operations room, today preserved as the Battle of United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland Bunker. Other scenes take place in Fighter Command's key "filter room" also as recreations of the squadron ops rooms. One scene shows the hitting on Biggin Hill's ops room, and another shows its relocation to a local bakery, although this is a recreation of another squadron's fill-in room in a local butcher's store.

The port of Hondarribia, Spain (here in a afterward state) was shown equally the port of Calais, full with invasion craft.

Donostia-San Sebastián's Avenida de la Libertad (shown in 2018) appeared as Berlin'due south Charlottenburger Chaussee during a British night raid.

Location filming in London was carried out mainly in the St Katharine Docks area where older houses were being demolished for housing estates. Partly demolished buildings represented bombed houses and disused buildings were assault fire. St Katharine Docks was ane of the few areas of London'south East Finish to survive the Blitz. Many extras were survivors of the Blitz. Aldwych tube station, used as a wartime air-raid shelter, was likewise used as a filming location. Near all the menstruum equipment from the London Fire Brigade Museum was used in the film. The night scenes of wartime Berlin were filmed in Donostia-San Sebastian, Basque Country. Production gaffers were allowed to blackout the city on need, with wellness facilities and official buildings backed up with generators.^[18] The scenes at RAF Fighter Command were filmed at RAF Bentley Priory, the headquarters of Fighter Control. Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding'southward original function, with the original furniture, was used.

Aircraft models [edit]

Permission was granted to the producers to use the Royal Air Force Museum's Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber (one of simply two that survive intact).^[19] The 1943 aircraft was repainted and slightly modified to resemble a 1940 model Ju 87. The engine was plant to be in splendid condition and there was petty difficulty in starting it, but returning the aircraft to airworthiness was ultimately too plush for the filmmakers.^[19] Instead, 2 Percival Proctor training shipping were converted into one-half-scale Stukas, with a cranked wing, as "Proctukas"^[8] though, in the film, they were non used on-screen.^[20] Instead, to indistinguishable the steep dive of Ju 87 attacks, large models were flown by radio control.^[21]

To recreate airfield scenes, with the limited number of period aircraft available for the film, large scale models were used. The first requirement was for set ornament replicas. Production of full-size wood and fibreglass Hurricanes, Spitfires and Bf 109s commenced in a sort of production line set up at Pinewood Studios. A number of the replicas were fitted with motorcycle engines to enable them to taxi. Although most of these replicas were destroyed during filming, a small number were made available to museums in the U.k..^[22]

The other need was for models in aeriform sequences, and fine art director and model maker John Siddall was asked by the producer to create and caput a team specifically for this because of his contacts in the modelling community. ^{[Annotation 5]} A exam flight was arranged at Lasham Airfield in the UK and a model was flown down the runway close behind a large American estate machine with a cameraman in the rear.^{[ citation needed ]} This test proved successful, leading to many radio-controlled models being synthetic in the band rehearsal room at Pinewood Studios.

Over a period of two years, a total of 82 Spitfires, Hurricanes, Messerschmitts, and He 111s were congenital.^[21] Radio-controlled Heinkel He 111 models were flown to depict bombers being destroyed over the English language Channel. When reviewing the footage of the beginning crash, the producers noticed a abaft-wire antenna; this was explained by an added cutaway in which the control wires of a Heinkel are seen shot loose.^[22]

Releases [edit]

The quote from the 20 August 1940 speech communication was changed when the movie was released on DVD in 2003. Onscreen, instead of the quote about "The Few," this Churchill quote appears: "This is non the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. Only it is, peradventure, the end of the beginning," which was a reference to the Second Battle of El Alamein being a turning point in the war.^[23] The 2004 Special Edition, withal, reverts to the quotation near The Few: "Never in the field of human conflict was then much owed by so many to so few."

Historical accuracy [edit]

The pic is generally faithful to events and, although merging some characters, it sticks to the orthodox view – that the Germans threw away strategic advantage past switching bombing from RAF airfields to London in revenge for RAF raids on Berlin.

Some subsequently scholarship has cast incertitude on i or another aspect of the orthodox view, arguing either: (a) that the switch to bombing London was fabricated not for reasons of revenge but because the Germans thought they had already defeated RAF Fighter Command or (b) that accelerated British aircraft product meant that the prospect of a German victory was never likely (this view seems hundred-to-one, in part because the outcome was the number of pilots).^[24]

The picture show includes a sequence which relates the events of fifteen August 1940, in which the Luftwaffe attempted to overwhelm fighter defences by simultaneous attacks on northern and southern England, the Luftwaffe reasoning that "even a Spitfire can't exist in two places at once". North East England was attacked past 65 Heinkel He 111s escorted by 34 Messerschmitt Bf 110s and RAF Driffield was attacked past 50 unescorted Junkers Ju. 88s. Out of 115 bombers and 35 fighters sent, xvi bombers and seven fighters were lost. As a result of these casualties, Luftflotte 5 did not appear in force once more in the campaign.^{[25] [Annotation 6]}

The Robert Shaw graphic symbol "Skipper" is based loosely on Squadron Leader Sailor Malan, a Southward African fighter ace and No. 74 Squadron RAF commander during the Battle of Britain. The scene in the functioning room in which the British listen to their fighters' wireless transmissions relies on dramatic licence, as the operations room received data by phone from the sector airfields. The scenes at the finish, where the RAF pilots are seen suddenly idle and left pending the return of the Luftwaffe raids, rely similarly on licence; the fighting fizzled out through tardily September, although daylight raids continued for some weeks after the 15 September date. 31 October 1940 is regarded equally the official stop on the British side.

The Edward Trick graphic symbol "Airplane pilot Officer Archie", is based on Ray Holmes of No. 504 Squadron RAF. On xv September 1940, now known as "Battle of Britain Day", Holmes used his Bell-ringer Hurricane to destroy a Dornier Practise 17 bomber over London by ramming simply at the cost of his own aircraft (and almost his own life). Holmes, making a head-on attack, found his guns inoperative. He flew his plane into the top-side of the German bomber, cutting off the rear tail department with his wing and causing the bomber to dive out of control and crash. The Dornier pilot, Feldwebel Robert Zehbe, bailed out, only to die later of wounds suffered during the attack, while the injured Holmes bailed out of his plane and survived.^[26]

As the RAF did non practise ramming as an air combat tactic, this was considered an impromptu manoeuvre and an act of selfless courage. Holmes was feted by the printing every bit a state of war hero who saved Buckingham Palace. This result became one of the defining moments of the Battle of Britain and elicited a congratulatory note to the RAF from Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands who had witnessed the outcome.^[27] The ramming is depicted in the moving-picture show, with considerable creative licence.

The confrontation between Dowding and Keith Park and Trafford Leigh-Mallory is fictitious, though there were undoubted tensions betwixt the two sides. The pic does not mention that, following the Battle of U.k., Dowding and Park were replaced by Sholto Douglas and Leigh-Mallory, despite Dowding and Park having demonstrated that Leigh-Mallory's "Big Wing" strategy was unworkable.^[28]

One omission is at the cease of the film, when casualties are listed. The moving-picture show does not mention losses by the Corpo Aereo Italiano, an Italian expeditionary strength that took part, nor is its participation mentioned during the film. I anomalous entry in the list of pilots who served with the RAF is a Palestinian pilot described by the credits as Israeli, fifty-fifty though the State of Israel was only created in 1948. This referred to George Goodman, an ace born in Haifa while Palestine was under British administration, who was killed in activeness in 1941. In the gainsay scenes there was no endeavor to recreate tracer rounds.

Göring'southward train in the film is Spanish rather than French (the RENFE markings are only visible on its tender) and the steam locomotive shown did not come into service on Spanish National Railways (RENFE) until 1951.

The character Major Falke is based on Generalleutnant Adolf Galland, a famous ace during the Second Globe War, who did ask Reichsmarshall Göring for "an outfit of Spitfires for my squadron".^[29] Galland explained in his autobiography that his request was only a way to upset Göring, considering he was "unbelievably vexed at the lack of understanding and stubbornness with the control (i.e. Göring) who gave u.s.a. orders we could non execute". Galland did feel that the Spitfire was more manoeuvrable than the Bf 109, which he felt made it more than suitable as a defensive fighter only he also states that "fundamentally I preferred the Bf 109".^[30] Galland was upset about the director's conclusion not to utilize the real names. While making the movie, Galland was joined by his friend Robert Stanford Tuck.^{[31] [ incomplete brusque citation ]}

During filming, Galland, who was acting as a German technical adviser, took exception to a scene where Kesselring is shown giving the Nazi salute, rather than the standard armed services salute. Journalist Leonard Mosley witnessed Galland spoiling the shooting and having to exist escorted off the gear up. Galland subsequently threatened to withdraw from the production, alarm "dire consequences for the picture show if the scene stayed in".^[32] When the finished scene was screened before Galland and his lawyer, he was persuaded to accept the scene after all.^[33]

Reported German losses during the battle derive from claims made and believed at the time. Subsequent research shows that these were substantial overestimates, resulting from, for case, multiple claims on the same downed shipping. The actual number of German losses on 15th September was 56.^[34]

An RAF officer pilot with a disfigured face appears in a scene with Kenneth More than and Susannah York. This is not an actor but retired Squadron Leader Beak Foxley, a trainee navigator with RAF Bomber Control during World War II who suffered severe burns following a crash. He was notable for the support he gave to other burns victims and for this motion picture appearance that gave a wide audience some awareness of the facial burns suffered past World War II aircrew.

Musical score [edit]

Every bit recounted in Mervyn Cooke's A History of Moving-picture show Music (2008), the flick has two musical scores. The first was written past Sir William Walton, so in his belatedly 60s, and conducted past Malcolm Arnold, who besides assisted Walton with the orchestration – notably the music accompanying the Rush sequences,^[35] and some sections of "Battle in the Air", which may have involved some compositional "patches" by Arnold.^[36] Aside from the undoubted originality and touch on of "The Battle in the Air" sequence, and an opening march (conducted at the sessions by Walton)^[37] which was described by a journalist nowadays at its recording as "a m patriotic tune to out-type and out-glory any that Sir William has all the same written, whether for films or coronations",^[35] much of Walton's score involves parodies of the horncall from Wagner's Siegfried.

Yet, Arnold and David Picker – the uncle and nephew in charge of United Artists – insisted on having the music tracks sent to them in New York; their verdict on hearing the music, unaccompanied by the film, was that information technology was unsuitable and that a composer known to them should be hired to write a replacement score.^[37] The music department at United Artists furthermore objected that the score was too short to fill an LP recording which was intended to exist marketed with the moving picture.^[38] As a issue, John Barry – who had scored several James Bond films – was approached, but he declined.^[39] The job was finally accepted by Ron Goodwin, who also served as conductor. Producer S. Benjamin Fisz and histrion Sir Laurence Olivier protested against this decision, and Olivier threatened to accept his name from the credits. In the end, one segment of the Walton score, "Battle in the Air", which depicted the climactic air battles of 15 September 1940, was retained in the final cut, equally well as a few bars of his march edited into the final scene earlier the credits curlicue. The Walton score for the battle sequence was played with no sound effects of aircraft engines or gunfire, giving the segment a transcendent, lyrical quality.

Prime Minister Edward Heath retrieved Walton's manuscript from United Artists in 1972, presenting it to the composer at Walton'south 70th birthday political party held at 10 Downing Street. Tapes of the Walton score were believed lost forever until beingness rediscovered in 1990 in the sound mixer'due south garage. Since then the score has been restored and released on meaty disc. The option to watch the moving picture with the consummate Walton score was included on the Region 2 special edition DVD of the film, which was released in June 2004 and the Region A Blu-ray released on iii June 2008.

Ron Goodwin's score opens with the "Luftwaffe March", later on retitled "Aces High", in the style of a traditional German military march in half-dozen/8 time. The march places heavy emphasis on the "oom-pah" audio of tubas and lower-pitched horns on the first and second beats and has the glockenspiel double the horns in the melody. Because of the peachy length of this sequence, which shows a Luftwaffe general's inspection of a Heinkel squadron in occupied France, the "Aces High" has three dissever bridges between choruses of the main theme, one of which recurs several times in a gently sentimental variation. Despite its origin in a representation of a tyrannical threat to democracy, the march has become a popular British march tune, like the Dambusters March; an accommodation was commencement played past a British military band in 1974 by the Corps of Drums of the Royal Pioneer Corps and is now^[forty] frequently played at military parades and by marching bands in Northern Ireland. American radio personality and bedevilled Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy used the march as bumper music on his syndicated radio programme.

Reporting on the film's premiere, The Times commented: "Amply shot, soberly put together, it is weighed down somewhat by a platitudinous score from Ron Goodwin. The only sequence of the rejected Walton score, the Boxing in the Air, turned downward allegedly because it was not long enough to fill up an LP, is not perchance vintage Walton, only at to the lowest degree lifts the film with moments of precipitous excitement."^{[41] [42]}

In 2004, both Ron Goodwin'south and Sir William Walton's scores were released on a single CD for the offset time - Goodwin's music occupied tracks ane to 19, while Walton's was tracks 20 to 28.^[43]

Number	Ron Goodwin score	William Walton score
ane	Battle of United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland Theme	March introduction and Battle of Britain March
2	Aces High March	the Young Siegfrieds
3	The Lull Before The Tempest	Luftwaffe Victory
4	Piece of work and Play	The Few Fight Back
5	Expiry and Destruction	Cat and Mouse
6	Briefing the Luftwaffe	Scherzo "Gay Berlin"
7	Prelude to Battle	Dogfight
8	Victory Assured	Scramble / Battle in the Air
9	Defeat	Finale: Battle of Britain March
10	Hitler's Headquarters
eleven	Return to Base
12	Threat
13	Civilian Tragedy
14	Offensive Build-Up
15	Attack
16	Personal Tragedy
17	Boxing in the Air[Note 7]
18	Absent Friends
19	Battle of United kingdom - End Title

Reception [edit]

In the United kingdom, filming of the aerial battle scenes over London and the home counties had generated considerable involvement. Pre-release publicity included the pic's quad posters on prominent billboard locations and features in The Sunday Times magazine and local press. However, the moving-picture show was released at a time when anti-war feeling stirred by the Vietnam State of war was running high, together with cynicism amidst post-war generations nearly the heroism of those who participated in the Battle of Uk.

The motion picture'due south premiere was held at the Rule Theatre in London on fifteen September 1969 and was attended past 350 Boxing of United kingdom veterans, including Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding.^[44]

Information technology received mixed reviews in the UK^[44] and was not well received by American critics either. The Evening Standard called information technology "an absorbing rather than a stirring film", The Times noted that information technology was "a discreet mixture of all possible approaches, tastefully done, not unintelligent, eminently respectable, and for the most part mortiferous dull" while The Guardian was less impressed calling it "neither a very good movie nor a very formidable piece of history".^[44] Vincent Canby wrote in The New York Times that, "Battle of United kingdom, which opened yesterday at the DeMille, 86th Street Due east and 34th Street East Theaters, is a homage to those airmen who, in 1940, broke the back of the threatened Nazi invasion. Information technology is also one of those all-star non-movies, of a somewhat lower gild than The Longest Day, that attempt to recapitulate history, but add nothing to one's understanding. The mixture of minor-primal fiction and restaged fact is – for me, anyway – never particularly satisfying, since information technology is denied the prerogatives and possibilities of both the documentary and the fiction pic."^[45]

In the Chicago Tribune, Cistron Siskel stated, "We believe American picture show audiences are no longer impressed by casts of thousands and budgets of millions. Unfortunately, Harry Saltzman, who produced The Boxing of Britain, disagrees. The pic is a 12-g-megadollar bomb that features 100 vintage planes eating up xl minutes of flick. The film has absolutely no dramatic Interest in the other 93 minutes, and I challenge the notion that it is worth seeing just for the aerial sequences."^[46] He later placed information technology on his listing of the twenty worst films to take been released that twelvemonth; commenting on the audience reaction to the aerial footage, he remarked that "the planes had the only good lines in the pic."^[47] Remarking on the same footage, Roger Ebert wrote that "the aerial scenes are allowed to run forever and repeat themselves shamelessly, until we're certain nosotros saw that same Heinkel dive into the sea (sorry – the "drink") three times already. And the special effects aren't all that practiced for a movie that cost $12,000,000."^[48]

Battle of Britain currently scores a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on ix reviews.^[49]

In its first 2 days in 11 cities in the UK, the film grossed $56,242.^[44] It was the number one film in the United Kingdom for a total of xiv weeks outset 26 September 1969 (4 weeks), seven Nov 1969 (7 weeks), 6 February 1970 (ii weeks) and finally 27 Feb 1970 (1 week).^[50]

Later worldwide distribution, the film grossed simply under $thirteen million co-ordinate to Guy Hamilton in an interview on the ii-disc DVD edition, but due to the big price of product, the motion picture lost $10 one thousand thousand, although dwelling media sales finally moved it into turn a profit.

The utilize of actual aircraft in flight sequences has led to a number of subsequent productions utilising stock footage derived from Battle of United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. These productions include the films Adolf Hitler: My Role in his Downfall (1972), Carry On England (1976),^[51] Midway (1976), Baa Baa Black Sheep (goggle box series 1979), Hope and Glory (1987), Piece of Cake (1988 ITV mini-series), No Bananas (BBC drama serial 1996), Nighttime Blue World (2001), and First Light (BBC drama 2010).^[52] as well as the History Channel documentary The Boggling Mr Spitfire about the life of wartime exam pilot Alex Henshaw (2007).

Merchandise [edit]

Both a hardcover and paperback book on the making of the movie were published in 1969. A prepare of 66 bubble-gum collector cards to accompany the moving-picture show was produced by Spitfire Productions. Dinky Toys produced a pair of diecast model shipping based on the film. A Spitfire Mk Ii (Dinky Toys 719) in one/65 scale and Junkers Ju 87B Stuka (Dinky Toys 721) in ane/72 calibration were released in special boxes with Battle of Britain logo on the box and photographs from the film included.^{[Notation 8] [53]}

In popular culture [edit]

• The formative strategy war-game Empire was notably inspired by the RAF Fighter Command scenes in Boxing of Britain in which staff move counters representing friendly and enemy aircraft and ships over the large map of Britain, from which tactical decisions are made by the air commanders.^[54]
• A fragment of the soundtrack of one of the dogfights is used on the album The Wall (1979) past Pink Floyd, immediately before the start of the rail "Vera".
• Footage of Bf 109s exploding and crashing into the English language Channel was inserted into the opening "Skeet Surfing" music video in the parody film Superlative Secret! (1984).
• Michael Caine appears in a spoken cameo role in the flick Dunkirk (2017) as a Royal Air Force Spitfire pilot, equally a nod to his role of RAF fighter pilot Squadron Leader Canfield in Battle of Britain.^{[55] [56]}
• A running joke in James May's YouTube cooking show on the FoodTribe channel involves May (or others) quoting the film, particularly the lines "plenty of information technology" (normally also referring to a food item) and "inundation the cowling".^[57]

See also [edit]

• Bell-ringer Hurricane survivors
• Messerschmitt Bf 109 survivors
• Supermarine Spitfire survivors
• Boxing of Uk Two: Wings of Victory

References [edit]

Notes [edit]

1. ^ Robert Shaw plays an unnamed squadron leader, referred to as "Skipper" – RAF slang for a commanding officer. His but other appellation is his call sign, "Rabbit Leader". Skipper could exist inspired by Sailor Malan.
2. ^ According to a booklet publicising the movie, Riess had allegedly once met Göring himself during the war.^[six]
3. ^ The Merlin in the Spanish-built variant, is non an "inverted" engine like the actual Bf 109E's Daimler-Benz DB-601, so the nose profile of the "Spanish Messerschmitts" is distinctly dissimilar.
4. ^ Only subsequently did the directors find out that this location was where The Homo Who Never Was charade had been carried out, in which the Germans were deceived by counterfeit documents purporting that the Allies were to invade Sardinia rather than Sicily, planted on a drowned man dressed every bit Regal Marines "Major Martin", allowed to wash up on the beach in 1943.^[17]
5. ^ Modellers included Mick Charles, Jack Morton and Chris Ohlson. Siddall was told by production that the models would not get whatever credit considering they didn't want it generally known that models were used in the motion picture.
6. ^ The moving picture'due south producers did non take access to real or replica Bf 110 or Junkers Ju 88 shipping, then the Junkers were not mentioned and the Heinkels are described as unescorted.
7. ^ Merely piece by Sir William Walton to be retained in the final score
8. ^ One of the first examples of "tie-in" merchandising.^[53]

Citations [edit]

1. ^ Tino Balio, United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, Academy of Wisconsin Press, 1987 p. 272
2. ^ Battle of Britain – Finale on YouTube Retrieved: 27 March 2011.
3. ^ Simpson, Geoff. The History of the Battle of Britain Fighter Clan : Commemorating the Few, p. 115.
4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on i Jan 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2017. {{cite spider web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy equally championship (link)
5. ^ Mosley 1969, p. 33.
6. ^ ^{a b c d} Hankin 1968, p. 48.
7. ^ Dunkirk – Filming the Aerial Scenes for the Epic Pic, Warbirds News, 15 August 2016, retrieved 25 July 2017
8. ^ ^{a b c d e} Hankin 1968, p. 49.
9. ^ Schnepf 1970, p. 25.
10. ^ Schnepf 1970, p. 45.
11. ^ MacCarron 1999, p. 80.
12. ^ ^{a b} "It's 1940 Again" Archived 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Motorcar, Flying, Volume 93, Upshot 3082, 4 Apr 1968. ISSN 0015-3710. Retrieved: 1 July 2013.
13. ^ Mosley 1969, p. 75.
14. ^ Crump 2007, p. 73.
15. ^ Hirshman, Dave. "Boxing of United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland Picture airplanes sold." AOPA Airplane pilot, November 2014, p. 28.
16. ^ "Battle of Britain Film Focus." Kent Film Part. Retrieved: 15 Apr 2015.
17. ^ Mosley 1969, p. 56.
18. ^ Rodríguez Fernández, Francisco (2018). Hollywood rueda en España, 1955–1980 [Hollywood shoots in Spain, 1955–1980] (Motility picture) (in Spanish). Interview with gaffer Miguel Sancho. 78 minutes in.
19. ^ ^{a b} "Junkers Ju-87 G2 494083/8474M." RAF Museum. Retrieved: 26 September 2010.
20. ^ Rudhall 2000, p. 126.
21. ^ ^{a b} Rudhall August 1988, p. 35.
22. ^ ^{a b} Rudhall May 1988, p. 10.
23. ^ Battle of Britain DVD, MGM Home Entertainment, Inc., 2003; infinitesimal 130, just before the credits roll
24. ^ Robinson 1987, p. xix.
25. ^ "Document 32." Battle of Britain Historical Society. Retrieved: 20 August 2011.
26. ^ Those Other Eagles, Shores, (2004)
27. ^ "Alfred Keith Ogilvie Boxing of Britain Pilot with 609 Squadron." Archived 9 May 2003 at the Wayback Machine lycos.co.uk. Retrieved: 25 July 2009.
28. ^ Deighton, Len. Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. New York: Ballantine Books, 1979. ISBN 0-06-100802-8.
29. ^ Mosley 1969, p. 99.
30. ^ Galland 2005, pp. 28–29.
31. ^ Baker 1996, p. 304. sfn mistake: no target: CITEREFBaker1996 (help)
32. ^ Mosley 1969, p. 105.
33. ^ Mosley 1969, pp. 122–123.
34. ^ Bungay, Stephen. The Nigh Unsafe Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain. London: Aurum Press, 2000 & later on. ISBN 1854108018 ISBN 9781781314951 ISBN 9781854108012 .
35. ^ ^{a b} Tierney 1984, p. 153.
36. ^ Conway, Paul. "Battle of Britain: Ron Goodwin and William Walton." Classical Music on the Web. Retrieved: 7 March 2014.
37. ^ ^{a b} Kennedy 1989, p. 238.
38. ^ Kennedy 1989, pp. 238–239.
39. ^ Kennedy 1989, p. 239.
40. ^ (R.P.C. Corps of Drums)
41. ^ The Times, 29 April 1971, p. 3.
42. ^ Tierney 1984, p. 154.
43. ^ "Boxing of Britain". Amazon.co.uk . Retrieved xvi May 2021.
44. ^ ^{a b c d} "'Battle of Britain'due south Mixed Reviews in London, Hot B.O., Notables Attend". Variety. 24 September 1969. p. 6.
45. ^ Canby, Vincent (21 Oct 1969). "Screen: Army of Stars Wages the 'Boxing of Uk'". The New York Times. 42.
46. ^ Siskel, Gene (4 November 1969). "The Movies". Chicago Tribune. Section ii, p. 5.
47. ^ Siskel, Gene (4 January 1970). "Last Twelvemonth's 20 Biggest Bombs from Filmland". Chicago Tribune. Section v, p. 1.
48. ^ Ebert, Roger (3 November 1969). "Battle of Britain". Chicago Sun-Times.
49. ^ Battle of Britain at Rotten Tomatoes
50. ^ The Guinness Book of Box Function Hits (1995) by Phil Swern
51. ^ ":: the whippit inn – carry on england 1976 ::". www.thewhippitinn.com.
52. ^ "First Light". BBC, 2010. Retrieved: seven March 2014.
53. ^ ^{a b} "Dinky Battle of Britain ad." flickr.com, 26 May 2011. Retrieved: i Dec 2011.
54. ^ Bright, Walter. "A Brief History of Empire." Walter Vivid'southward Classic Empire website, Kirkland, 2000.
55. ^ Whitty, Stephen (16 July 2017). "Chris Nolan on 'Dunkirk,' and leaving the 'Dark Knight' backside". NJ.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2017.
56. ^ Nolan, Christopher (2017). Dunkirk. Faber & Faber; Main edition. ISBN978-0571336258.
57. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "109 seconds of James May quoting Boxing of Great britain". YouTube.

Bibliography [edit]

• Cooke, Mervyn. A History of Movie Music. Cambridge, United kingdom: Cambridge Academy Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-521-01048-1.
• Crump, Bill. "Bandits on Film." FlyPast Oct 2007.
• Galland, Adolf. Die Ersten und die Letzten (The First and the Last) (in German). Munich: Franz Schneekluth-Verlag Darmstadt, First edition, 1953. ISBN 978-2-905643-00-ane.
• Galland, Adolf. The First and the Last: Germany'south Fighter Strength in WWII (Fortunes of War). South Miami, Florida: Cerberus Press, 2005. ISBN 1-84145-020-0.
• Hankin, Raymond. "Filming the Battle." Flying Review International, Vol. 24, no. 2, Oct 1968.
• Kennedy, Michael. Portrait of Walton. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Printing, 1989.
• MacCarron, Donald. "Mahaddie's Air Force." FlyPast September 1999. ISBN 978-0-19816-705-1.
• Mackenzie, S. P. The Battle of U.k. on Screen: 'The Few' in British Film and Television Drama. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7486-2390-7.
• Mosley, Leonard (1969). Battle of Britain: The Story of a Film. London: Pan Books. ISBN0-330-02357-viii.
• Prins, François. "Battle of Britain: Making an ballsy." FlyPast August 2009.
• Robinson, Anthony. RAF Squadrons in the Boxing of Great britain. London: Arms and Armour Printing Ltd., 1987 (republished 1999 past Brockhampton Printing). ISBN 1-86019-907-0.
• Rudhall, Robert. "The Battle of Uk: The Motion picture, Part one: Opening Shots." Warbirds Worldwide, Number 5, Book Ii, No. 1, May 1988.
• Rudhall, Robert. "The Battle of Britain: The Movie, Role two: Lights, Photographic camera's,(sic) Action." Warbirds Worldwide, Number half dozen, Volume Two, No. 2, August 1988.
• Rudhall, Robert J. Battle of Britain: The Movie. Worcester: Ramrod Productions, 2000. ISBN 0-9519832-9-6.
• Schnepf, Ed, ed. "The Few: Making the Battle of Britain." Air Classics Vol. 6, No. 4, April 1970.
• Swern, Phil. The Guinness Book of Box Office Hits. Guinness Publishing Ltd, 1995. ISBN 0-85112-670-7.
• Tierney, Neil. William Walton: His Life and Music. London: Robert Unhurt, 1984. ISBN 0-7-0901-784-vii.

External links [edit]

• Boxing of U.k. at IMDb
• Boxing of U.k. at the TCM Moving picture Database
• Boxing of Britain at AllMovie
• Battle of Britain at Rotten Tomatoes
• Battle of Britain a 1969 Flight article

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Britain_(film)

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